The Nationwide Park Service has closed an 8-mile portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway indefinitely following a number of makes an attempt by guests to feed and maintain a younger bear.

The cases of human-bear interplay passed off at North Carolina’s Lane Pinnacle Overlook, park officers mentioned.

The overlook falls throughout the stretch now closed, between mile marker 367.6 close to a picnic space and mile marker 375.6 the place the parkway meets Ox Creek Highway.

As well as, a customer heart at milepost 364.5 is also closed till the roadway reopens. The overlook is about 12 miles northeast of Asheville.

“When folks deliberately appeal to bears with trash and meals, it will probably result in very harmful conditions. On this occasion, we need to give the bear an opportunity to lose curiosity within the space earlier than the scenario escalates and guests or the bear are harmed,” Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Tracy Swartout mentioned in an announcement.

Fall is essential for bears, who spend the season bulking up and consuming for many of their days in preparation for hibernation when they may subsist on the fats they construct up.

The Blue Ridge Parkway was probably the most visited nationwide park in 2022, drawing simply over 5% of the nation’s leisure park visits with 15,711,004 guests, per NPS information.